Ugly loss for Gophers puts damper on season

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – Thud.

That's the sound of the Gophers season slamming into a brick wall. We should have known better than to believe this team might be different.

Saturday's game was supposed to be a final tune-up for the Gophers before the grind of November hit.

Instead, the Gophers looked asleep for the first half and coughed up a late lead to lose 28-24 to an Illinois team that entered the game 0-3 in the Big Ten.

Thud.

The Gophers had visions of returning home 7-1, 4-0 in the Big Ten with a pivotal four-game stretch on tap, starting with Iowa in two weeks.

And now? Yawn.

Leidner's performance was all over the map. He completed a few big plays in the third quarter to give his team a spark. But he threw the ball wildly and made poor decisions in the pocket to kill any momentum.

David Cobb fumbled on third-and-long with 6½ minutes left in the fourth quarter and Illinois cornerback V'Angelo Bentley scooped it up and ran 15 yards for a touchdown to give Illinois the lead for good.